We arrived home after 48 days of travel. Once we left Minnesota we limited our sightseeing to Hwy 35 from Prescott to Praire de Chen WI and part of the Illinois countryside. The drive is beautiful with the river bluffs punctuated by small river towns with interesting looking shops and cafes. We did stop at the Buena Vista City Park in Alma, WI. Tom, my brother-in-law recommended it. The park is high on a hill overlooking the Mississippi River and the locks. You can see for miles. The dedication stone in the park has this quote: "Such scenes have the power to quiet the pulse of care." There is a bench overlooking the view to the southwest. I just wanted to sit there for a few hours and take it all in.
We stopped at the huge sporting goods store, Cabela's two miles north of Praire de Chen. I had no idea there were so many items for hunting and fishing. Dan did buy a Columbia shirt on sale. We traveled through the Illinois country-side taking highway 51 most of the way to our stopping point in Mendota, IL. The corn does not look as good as North Dakota. The farmers are seeing the effects of the drought in this area. We had a delightful lunch at Joyce's Cafe in Vernon, IL.
